Freaking out Does not Fix Anything— Although Your Brain Thinks it Will

Your amygdala, the little almond shaped area in your brain responsible for triggering your emotional reactions among other things is far from forgetful, and it loves the sound of sirens in the night. Feeling the effects of cortisol each time you remember a problem/situation convinces you that you should keep ranting; surely the offenders will show up any minute now to admit they were wrong and you were right!

The next stage is to support this ingrained insane behavior, by contriving elaborate reasons to justify our ranting, worrying, panic and the resulting stress. Like the parent who stares at her child kicking and screaming on the floor, so does life observe us, grown children, throwing tantrums because some aspect of life did not go as we expected—as if that will change anything! Everyone has his or her own brew of defensive reactions, from worrying, yelling, and crying to overworking, drinking, sleeping, and complaining to anyone who will listen.You must realize these behaviors/tantrums are full of empty promises and examine these hardwired misguided reactions more objectively. Once you see their lie exposed—that getting upset will somehow help you—your behavior will begin to change. So let’s see if you are able to catch yourself this week when you feel screaming at the slow poke in front of you will actually